On May 30, 2025, 15-year-old Azjanae Brooks, a Black female, was reported missing from her family's home in Snoqualmie, Washington. A day later, on May 31, 2025, her body was discovered approximately 40 miles away in the city of Shoreline. The King County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that Brooks died from a gunshot wound to the head and neck, and her death was officially ruled a homicide.
The specific location where she was killed remains unknown.
Known to her friends and family as "Nay," Brooks was a freshman at Bellevue High School. Her vice-principal remembered her as a "force of love" with an infectious spirit. In the wake of her death, community members held a candlelight vigil at a park in Bellevue to honor her memory. Friends of the family also established an online fundraiser to help with funeral expenses, with the intention of burying her in Georgia where she had extended family. Azjanae is survived by her parents, a big brother, and two little sisters.
The King County Sheriff's Office is leading the homicide investigation, which they have described as "active and sensitive." As of early June 2025, no arrests have been made in connection with her death, and authorities have not publicly identified any suspects. Investigators have urged anyone with information regarding the case to contact their tip line. The community is left grappling with the tragic loss of a vibrant young girl as they await answers in her unsolved murder.
